US Soccer president Gulati: World Cup selection procedures need to change

US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati believes the selection procedure for the World Cup needs to change.

The US, along with a number of other nations, were beaten to the 2022 tournament by Qatar in a move which has been criticised since the announcement.

Gulati, now a FIFA executive committee member, believes countries should only be rewarded if they simply have a sporting agenda and not a goal to benefit commercially.

"The rules, the procedures, need to be very different than they are now,'' Gulati told the Leaders in Football conference in London. "It's a unique situation that the Olympics and the World Cup have become so important to countries that nation states are now essentially bidding, it's no longer bid committees.

"That's a very difficult situation for countries like England or the United States, frankly, which operate differently. We are not going to conduct a foreign policy based on hosting a World Cup ... it's just never going to be important.''

Gulati added: "Would we be interested in bidding for 2026? The procedures would need to be very different to what they are now.

"If the critical issue is taking it to new lands, then tell us in advance, because we won't bother.

"The rules need to be clearer and tighter. And the process needs to be better. If you are stepping on to a field of play, you know what the rules are.''